I won't ever leave you
by TripleSensation
Summary: April Cooper is the new girl in town. Will she fit in with the guys? Can she help them through their most troubling time? Is she more than just a friend? Darry/OC Loosly based on the events in the book.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

**Moving to a new home sucks. And I know that everyone bitches about it. But that's because it's true. Totally true. So yeah, as you might have already presumed, I've moved. To the East Side. Where the "greasers" live. Personally, I hate labels. Who cares if so-and-so is a greaser?? I don't. Greasers are probably decent people. Not that I've met anyone yet. I've been here for all of ……2 hours and 43 minutes.**

**I guess I should let you know who I am. The names April. April Cooper. I know, named after the month. Let's just say my mother was NOT in her right mind when she chose my name. Not that I particularly care. At least I never have to worry about anyone having the same name. I've never met another April. I'm sure my dad would hate it. Not that he has any idea that I'm alive. He's a big shot in New York. Some Wall Street banker type. One of those nice guys who hoodwinked my mum into thinking he loved her.**

**We used to live in New York. Me and my mum. She cleaned houses (hence how she met the banker guy). There were some good times, and some shitty ones too. But my mum decided that she didn't want to clean houses anymore, she wanted to move in with her new boyfriend. Well I guess he's not really new, she's been dating him for like 10 years. He owns a gas station on the East Side. Which my mum is gonna help run. After she marries him. Which will be in about 12 weeks. His name's Stan by the way. Dec guy. I like him. My mum made sure of that. She's actually super caring when it comes to me. She just doesn't want me to ever get hurt like she did. Hence why I have had all of 2 boyfriends. They have to be approved by mum. **

**But back to me. So I'm April, 17 years old for….5 and a half more weeks. I'm a senior. Finally. I'll be starting at the new school soon. Monday I guess. Which means I only have 2 more days to enjoy my freedom in this new town. I don't really like school. Why get graded on knowledge? I'm not gonna need to know trigonometry for my job. I'm more of a physical girl (no pun intended for all u dirty minded people). I mean like I'm good at fixing and building things. Cars, cupboards. Stuff like that. **

**I'm gonna stop rambling now. I need to get out of this house. I've got a restless spirit as my mum calls it. Can't stay in one place for too long. Maybe that's why school kills me. Hmm, I'll have to think about that one. Anyways, enough of this pity party. It's Saturday afternoon. I'm getting outta here. **

*******

"**Yo mum, is it okay if I go out for bit? Promise I won't be out late." I ran downstairs to the kitchen and saw my mom putting stuff away into the cupboard. **

"**Of course. But could you be home for 6? Stan wants us to run by the station so that he knows we got here okay. He couldn't take today off. Saturdays are just too busy. He also wants the guys to meet us."**

"**Yea no prob. I hope those guys can actually fix cars. Or else I'll have to show them a thing or two." I smiled inwardly. Fixing cars was my favourite pastime. **

"**Be nice on your first day. You want to make friends at your new work, not enemies. Which reminds me, we need to register you for school tomorrow. And working at the station better not interfere with your schoolwork. Its senior year after all."**

"**Don't worry mum. It won't. And I don't have to go to school. It's not like I'm really learning anything anyways."**

"**Oh sweetheart lets not have this conversation again. Finishing high school; that was the deal. Now get out of here. Or else you won't have any time before we have to go meet Stan."**

"**K, see ya later!" I grabbed a set of house keys and bolted out the door. God was it hot. I was glad I had a lot of summer clothes. I walked along the streets of town, and saw myself in one of the store's windows. I thought I looked pretty. I have super long wavy brown hair. With some nice natural highlights that girls pay immense amounts of money for. I'm not tall but I'm not short either. I'd say about 5'8". I was wearing white shorts and a little pink top, which showed of my arms. I got muscles from fixing cars and such. I'm proud of that. **

"**Oh hi there greaser. Where are you going?" I heard a voice call me from the street. Turning my head to the right I saw a car load of boys all gawking at me. They looked around my age, and you could tell that they had money. Like the mustang didn't make that obvious. "Sure you don't want any company??" They laughed at that. God, what idiots. **

"**Not from someone who uses lame pickup lines like that." I kept walking, hoping to get away from them. What was it my mum said? Oh yea, don't make any enemies. **

"**Is that sass I'm hearing from you bitch? Last I checked, whores aren't supposed to talk back." Oh god, a real guy with words. **

"**What makes you think I'm a whore? I haven't slept with you. And by the looks of it, neither has anyone else." And with that I ducked into the first store I saw, because I knew I would get beat up if I stayed outside. **

**Turns out I wandered into a convenience store. Looking out the window, I saw the mustang park and the boys just sat there. Waiting for me. I desperately scanned the whole store, looking for the tuffest guy I could. Aha. Gotcha! I walked to the back of the store, where I saw a boy with white blond hair picking out a soda. **

"**Hi there. Could you do me a huge favour?" I asked him sweetly, praying to god that this would work. Or else I might be stuck inside this store all night. **

"**What is it little lady?" God this guy was big. Like 6 inches taller than me, and man was he tuff. **

"**Could you pretend to be my boyfriend? Just, there's a huge carload of boys out there waiting for me. And I really don't want to get into a fight on my first day here." I looked up at him and batted my eyes. Hopefully flirting works with this guy. **

"**Socs?? Are they bothering you?" He looked out the window and spotted them. Suddenly he looked very angry. **

"**Not really. But I don't fancy a fight with 6 of them and 1 of me." **

"**Well then, don't worry. Just let me pay for this and then I'll get you out of here." He walked up to the counter, put down some money, and said, "Well come on hunny." And held open the door for me. **

**As soon as we got outside he put his arm around my waist and said, "Just go along with what I say got it?" I nodded quickly, and then saw that he was heading over to the mustang. I looked up to him with curiosity, but he just gave me a wink before saying, "have you boys been bothering my girl?"**

**The boys had been hollering as soon as we got out of the store, but as we walked closer I saw them all stop, and looks of fear crossed their faces. Hmm, wonder if it was because of a certain boy I was with.**

"**Da..dally?" said the boy behind the wheel. "When did you get out of the cooler?" Oh shit, this guy's gone to prison? Tufff**

"**None of your business Randy, just be assured that I'll be around for a while. And if you bother my girl again I'll make sure to make a house call to you and your little friends." Dally smirked at them, as if egging them on.**

"**Aw shit Dal! We were only jokin' with her. We didn't mean nothing! Don't get all worked up over it." Another boy spoke up from the back. **

"**Only my friends call me Dal, and last I checked Bob, we weren't friends. And I doubt we ever will be. Now come on hun," motioning to me "let's go see Tim." And with that he walked us away from the mustang, which drove off in an instant. I had no idea who this Tim person was, nor who I was with. **

"**Thanks. I probably would have had to fight them or wait inside that store all night until they went away." I was honestly grateful to this guy. **

"**No prob girl. The name's Dally as you probably heard. Are you new around these parts?" I noticed that he still kept his arm around my waist. **

"**I'm April. And yea, just moved here from New York. I've been here for all of 6 hours. Who were those guys?"**

"**We call them Socs. Rich folks from the West side who like to beat on greasers like us. You are from the East Side right?" When I nodded he continued. "Then you're a greaser like the rest of us. Don't travel alone or else the Socs will jump you. They tend to take advantage of girls alone."**

**I shuddered at the thought of what he implied. "You keep saying 'the rest of us'. Who are you talking about?"**

"**Just the gang of guys I hang with. When I'm not in the cooler." He gave me a wry smile. "By the way, do you mind me walking you home? I don't want you to run into those guys again." I looked around and noticed that we were halfway to my house by this point.**

"**Well seeing as how we're already halfway there sure. But don't expect me to kiss you on my porch or anything. Cuz it ain't gonna happen." He laughed at this. "And thanks again. You're surprisingly sweet."**

"**Just don't tell anyone and we're all good. I got a reputation to uphold here. That's why those guys were so scared. You picked the right person to stand up for you." He looked down and smiled. Once again I was intensely aware of his arm around my waist. I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I didn't have any feelings for this guy, other than what a sister would have for a brother. Not that I would know, cuz I never had a brother. But I definitely didn't want to kiss him or anything. **

"**Well this would be my home. Thanks for walking me all this way. Are you still in school?" I stopped at my porch. **

"**Nah, dropped that shit as soon as I could." He lit a cigarette and it was the only source of light in the dark night. I hadn't even noticed how dark it was. Guess it isn't quite summer yet. **

"**Well, maybe I'll see you around sometime. See ya Dally." And with that I walked inside the house. **

"**Bye April." Dally said into the darkness before walking away. **

*******

"**Oh good! April you're home. I was just about to leave to go to the station. We can't be late for our own barbeque. Isn't Stan adorable? He wanted to make us feel comfortable with all the guys who work for him. So he set up this whole barbeque. God I love that man!" My mum was on cloud 9.**

**I took a moment to look at her. She looked good for her age. I mean, she had me young but still she looks good for being 37. She got pretty caramel coloured wavy hair, and she's short. Well, shorter than me. She was the one who gave me my super slender build. I guess we look a lot alike. I'm glad she finally found someone to love, and who legit loved her back. **

"**Do you need to change at all?"**

"**Nah I'm good. Wanna go?" I held open the door for her. I just wanted to get this barbeque over with. I doubt I'd find any cool guys to chill with at this thing, so the sooner we got there the sooner it'd be over. **


	2. Chapter 2

Hey! So this is my first fanfic, but its been in my brain for awhile and I finally decided to write it down. If you could all just read and review that would be awesome! Cuz I kinda have no idea what I'm doing here.

And, my friend wanted me to dedicate this chapter to her (no idea why). So this one's for Kates.

Disclaimer: I don't own the outsiders or some of the events in this story, that's all S .E. Hinton.

**CHAPTER TWO**

**We could hear the music as soon as we turned onto the block. The DX station was lit up and music was blaring. I could see a few people, all boys. This wouldn't be awkward at all. At least it would be until I got some beer into my system. My mum and I walked in and I saw about 15 guys there ranging from around my age to mid 30s. And then of course there was Stan. He lit up as soon as he saw my mum walk in and almost ran over to us. He wrapped his arms around my mum's waist and planted a kiss on her lips. Ugh. I'll admit, I am a closet romantic, but I'm not really into PDA or anything.**

**But then I spotted a fridge containing (what I hoped) beer. I said bye to my mum and Stan and made a beeline for the fridge, which, of course, was at the back of the room. I picked up a bottle of (Coors) and opened it on the side of a nearby table.**

"**Whoa, fancy moves there little lady. Where'd you learn that?" I heard a voice from behind me say. Considering how I was the only girl in the room apart from my mother, I knew he was talking to me. **

"**Just a neat little trick I learned from a past boyfriend." I said as I turned around. When I looked up I saw probably the prettiest boy I have ever seen. Not handsome, but pretty. He looked like a movie star. I think my jaw might actually have dropped a bit. How embarrassing. **

"**My names Soda, Sodapop Curtis. And you are…?" He put out his hand, waiting for me to shake it. **

"**April. April Cooper." I took his hand and shook it. **

"**So your mom is the boss's new girl?" He asked politely. He seemed nice enough. I noticed how, though everyone else was drinking beer, he had a coca-cola in his hands. Interesting. **

"**Well I wouldn't say new. She's been dating him for about 10 years now. They're getting married." We watched the party from the sidelines. **

"**Soda! What are you doing over there? Let's go. A party's not a party 'til Sodapop Curtis is there!" A boy ran over to us, obviously drunk. God, I hated sloppy drunks. **

"**Just a sec Steve. This is April, boss's girl's girl. Hah! That was funny." I had to laugh at Soda's horrid joke. **

"**Hey April." Steve said. And he leaned in close to give me a hug. **

"**Nice to meet you Steve," I said, slipping out of his grasp. I didn't want to hug the drunk. **

"**And I'll be working here soon, so you can call me by my name."**

**Soda looked at me. "A nice girl like you's gonna be working at the DX? You gonna be behind the counter?" **

"**Hell no! I'll be fixing cars with the rest of ya." Sexist little pig. **

"**Sorry. But you don't look like the kinda girl who wouldn't know the fender from the engine." Soda looked shocked when I told him I fixed cars. **

"**Any girl who doesn't know that is an idiot." I laughed. "I'll see if you guys are up to par when I start working. Now are we gonna make this a party?? I didn't come here to stand and chat like grownups."**

"**Well, it'll only be a party if you'll dance with me pretty lady," Soda said, holding out his hand to me. **

"**Be careful May, Soda can't dance if his life depended on it." Steve said. **

"**It's April. And I think I can handle him." As if to prove something, I took Soda's hand confidently and we walked into the middle of the room. **

**A fast song came on and we started to dance. I have to say, it was probably the weirdest dance I have every done. A combination of leaping and twirling, of jumping and skipping, of hopping and sashaying. Steve was wrong, Soda could dance, he just chose to dance in his own particular way. And it was fun! The rest of the boys seemed to like it and cheered us on. **

**As the night wore on I got passed from drunken boy to drunken boy, names blurring into one another and by the end of the night only Soda and I were the only ones sober. I never got a chance to finish that first beer, considering how I spent the whole night dancing. Being the only girl has its advantages sometimes. Everyone wants to dance with you. When the party was winding down I wandered over to Soda. **

"**I noticed how you didn't drink at all tonight. Any particular reason?" I asked him quietly, sitting down in the chair next to him. **

"**Don't see the need to. I get drunk just living as my brother says. Want a Kool?" He offered me a cigarette. Now I might drink, but I don't touch cigarettes. Never ever. **

"**Nah. I don't smoke." I waved them away. If he blew smoke in my face I would kick his ass.**

"**Do you want me to stop?" He was sweet. **

"**Don't worry about it. I don't mind. I just don't like the taste." **

"**Strange." Soda mused. "I figured everyone smoked. Oh well. So how're you liking the East Side so far?"**

"**I got hit on by a mustang full of boys. I've only been here for like 8 hours. I don't know anyone." I smiled at the memory of earlier today. **

"**Damn Socs. Sorry bout that. Well if you wanna meet people you're welcome to come over to my house tomorrow. The gang'll be there." Soda leaned back and blew smoke rings into the air. **

"**Sure. Sounds like fun. Who's the gang?" That's the second time I'd heard of gangs today. **

"**Just the guys I hang out with. They're like my brothers. And in two cases they are my brothers. Steve'll be there."**

"**Oh yay. Steve." I said as sarcastically as possible. **

"**He's not that bad when he's not drunk. Here, I'll give you the directions. Just come over whenever. Someone'll be there. I'll let the guys know you're coming." He handed me a napkin in which he wrote down some directions. **

"**Well thanks Soda. That's real sweet of you. I'll be sure to stop by. And now I think I'm leaving." I could see my mum and Stan waving me over. "I'll see you tomorrow!" I stood up and walked over to my mum. **

"**Bye April!" Soda called behind me. **

"**Bye April!!!!" All the boys echoed. **

**I laughed as I walked out the door. **

*******

**Damn sun. **

**It was so bright in my room because I hadn't put the shades on my window up yet. The sunlight was streaming in and it was the reason why I woke up at the ungodly hour of…..6 30!! I like the morning, but not this much. Well, if I'm up I'm up then. I may as well do something productive with myself. I rummaged through the cardboard boxes littering my room and pulled out some workout clothes and my trusty running shoes. I'd just go for a run before it got hot out. **

**I love running. Really clears my head. Not that I had a lot to think about right now. It wouldn't be so bad living here if I liked the rest of Soda's gang. At least then I'd have friends. I wonder how old Soda is. He didn't seem older than me, but then again, he didn't mention school. Hmm, I'll have to ask him about that the next time I see him. Which reminds me, I have to register for school today. Ugh. **

**I got back at about 7 30 and by that time my mum was up and making breakfast. "Hey sweetheart. How was your run?" She was so cute. **

"**Great mum! Gotta shower. I'm going out today." I was hoping that she would forget about registering for school. **

"**Okay, but after we register you. You have school on Monday." Damn, no such luck. **

"**K just let me shower and then can we get it over with?" I said this as I started up the stairs "Oh, hi Stan! Good morning!" I ran past him on the stairs and he looked stunned. **

"**How can both of you be this perky this early in the morning. Crazy ladies!!" **

**I laughed as I ran into my room and grabbed my shower stuff. Sucks that I haven't started unpacking. I'll have to get on that later. **

*******

"**Mum! Let's go! I want to get this over with." I was so impatient to get this stupid registering thing over and done with. **

"**Relax April! It's not gonna be open yet goof. Just slow down and eat some breakfast." She was always trying to force food down my throat. But I was just never hungry. **

"**Mum I had some OJ! Now let's go!" I grabbed my keys and held the door open for her. **

"**Have fun you two!" Stan called from the doorway as we walked down the street. **

*******

**Thank god that was over. **

**Stupid bitch of a lady seemed to take forever processing my transcripts. Really, its not that difficult. Just take the paper and say welcome to our school. **

**But I'm finally free. Free to do whatever I want. Free to go over to Soda's house and hang with "the gang". But I should unpack first. And they probably don't want me there at…9 00 in the morning. **

**After spending a happy hour unpacking, I finally changed and headed over to Soda's house. I decided on something super simple, because I'd be hanging with a group of boys. Jeans and a black tank top suited me just fine. And if I got cold…I could probably persuade a boy to give me his sweatshirt. **

*******

"**April! I'm glad you came!" Soda cried when he opened the door and saw me. He held it open wide. I walked in and saw 6 boys in a living room, plus Soda. I felt Soda's hand on the small of my back and he propelled me into the room. He first pointed at a big guy who was lying on the floor watching TV. **

"**Okay, so over here we have Two-Bit Matthews. The king of bad jokes and a guy who'll never shut up. Ever. Oh, and he loves his Mickey Mouse. A junior in school, and how old are ya now Two-Bit?? 26?" Soda called over the Mickey Mouse theme song. **

"**Aw go to hell Soda. And how'd a greaser like you pick up a broad like her? Even with your movie star looks she's too good for you." All the guys seemed to find that funny. **

"**I don't get 'picked up' by greasers for your information Two-Bit. I pick them." There were a lot of hollers after I said this. **

"**Ohhh. She's a wise cracking one she is!" I heard Steve say from across the room. **

"**You obviously already know Steve." Soda said, motioning to Steve. I gave him a small wave. "This here is my little brother, Pony. Ponyboy Curtis." Soda ruffled the hair of a small dark haired boy who was reading a book. "He's the baby of the gang, being 14 and only a freshman in school!" **

"**And already I'm smarter than you are Soda!" The boy looked up and smiled at me. He had the nicest smile I had ever seen. **

"**Shut it small fry." Soda said jokingly. I could tell that they had a close bond. "And beside him we have Johnny. Johnny Cade." Soda pointed at a black haired, tanned skin boy. He looked just as small and young as Pony. But I found out that he was 16. He looked like a neglected child. My heart broke just looking at him. He looked up and gave me a quick smile before looking back at the TV again. **

"**As you can see he's real chatty." Soda whispered obviously. I laughed. "And well Darry's not here yet, you'll meet him later. And last but not least, in this corner we have…"**

"**Dally!" Oh my god. What was Dally doing here?**

"**Oh hey there darling. Miss me already?" Dally gave me a long hard look. **

"**Wait. How do you know who Dally is? I thought you didn't know anyone?" Soda was looking between the two of us, obviously confused.**

"**Yea well he helped me out of a tough situation yesterday. You know, the mustang I told you about?" I told Soda. I really didn't want the others to hear. I needed to be tuff. **

"**What's this about a mustang?" I heard a deep voice from behind me say. I turned around and was face to face with the most handsome guy I had ever seen. Well, that's just my opinion. He was tall, way taller than me, with a huge muscled body. He had dark brown hair and the prettiest eyes I'd ever seen. They were pale green-blue. Almost like they had ice covering them. I felt like I was drawn into them. **

"**Ah, you're home Darry! April, this here's my older brother Darry. He's 20 now." I shook the offered hand and was surprised that it was so warm. **

**Darry's POV**

**I walked in to here the words "You know, the mustang I told you about?" And it was coming from a female voice. Hadn't heard one of those coming from my house in awhile. **

**I walked in and said "What's this about a mustang?"**

"**Ah, you're home Darry! April, this here's my older brother Darry." I didn't hear the rest of what he said because just then the girl turned around. **

**She was absolutely breathtaking. She was shorter than me, with long brown wavy hair that made me want to run my hands through it. And she was so cute without trying to be. With the clearest blue eyes I had ever seen. I instantly wanted to protect her and kiss her at the exact same moment. I held out my hand and felt when her cool small hand shook mine. **

"**What happened with this mustang?" I asked again. **

**The girl…April…suddenly looked nervous. "Oh..umm…it was really nothing. Just some guys were beating on me and Dally stepped in and stopped them." I looked over at Dally and said "Who were they?" **

"**Randy and Bob and company. Nothing we haven't dealt with before." He looked immensely bored. **

**Damn them! Wanting to hurt…April. God I loved saying her name. "Well you just let us know if they try to hurt you again. They can't get away with this." I looked at her again…April. **

**April's POV**

"**I will. Thanks." I said, suddenly shy. God this had never happened before! I had never become shy in front of a guy before. Snap out of it April. He's never gonna think you're cool if you don't stop this. And he's 20! 20 years old. he's never gonna be interested in you. And with that I snapped back into normal April. "So where are your parents?"**

**I went deathly quiet in a heartbeat. I wondered what I said wrong. After a moment Darry said "They're dead," before walking into a room that I supposed was the kitchen. Oh great, you pissed off the most interesting guy you've met. Good going April. **

"**I'm so sorry." I whispered. Soda took my hand and led me over to the couch. **

"**It's okay April. You didn't know." He sat the two of us down and looked me in the eye. "Our mum and dad were killed in a car accident awhile ago. Darry dropped out of college to look after us, so that Social Services wouldn't take me and Pony away." He said quietly. It was the only time I had seen Soda be serious. **

"**Yea, and then Soda dropped out of school to work full-time at the DX station." Pony piped up. **

"**I dropped out Pony cuz I'm dumb. I was failing anyway. And now I make money!" Soda laughed. Back to normal he was. **

**We spent the rest of the day just relaxing. Finally when it was about 7 I started to get hungry. They didn't seem to have any food so I told them I'd run to the store and grab something and fix them dinner. I am a good cook, not trying to brag. **

**Darry had come back in by this point and said, "Not by yourself you're not. I'll come with you"**


	3. Chapter 3

Hi again! Okay so, about the last chapter, I realize that I called the beer Coors. I don't really know what kind of beer they drank back then. So sorry for any mistake.

If you guys could please review that would be awesome! It feels kinda weird. Like I'm writing to an invisible audience. I promise to be quick to update but only if I get some feedback. Constructive criticism is appreciated.

But, on with the story

**CHAPTER THREE**

**I was slightly nervous when Darry said he'd come with me. I mean, every time I see the guy I make an idiot out of myself. So when we set off down the street, I decided to let him start talking. I guess he's quiet, cuz after a few minutes I got fed up with waiting. **

"**I'm sorry….for bringing up your parents." I said quietly. I didn't want to upset him again but I did want him to know how I felt. **

"**No, its okay. I'm sorry I got so upset. I'm getting over them dying but sometimes it's just so hard. Not because I'm sad or anything, but because of how much my life has changed." He spoke this all quietly. "I was suppose to go to college. On a football scholarship. I was gonna make something of my life. I was gonna get out of Tulsa and go places. And bring Soda and Pony with me. And now I can't." He stopped walking and looked at the ground. My heart broke looking at him. **

"**Oh my god. I'm so sorry Darry. I would tell you I understand but….i don't. I've never had to give up everything." I had the irresistible urge to hug him. **

"**Thank you." He said quietly. It was quiet for a few moments but I decided not to push him into talking again. "I hate when everyone says they understand when they can't possibly understand what I'm going through." I gave into my urge and wrapped my arms around him. I felt his arms snake around my waist and his head on my shoulder. I could also feel him crying. **

**After a few minutes he finally looked up and then down at me. "I'm sorry. You didn't have to listen to all that. I just wanted…to explain how I felt to someone. I feel like I can trust you." I noticed that his arms didn't leave my waist. **

"**You can trust me."**

"**I know. But you need to know that I don't regret giving up everything for Soda and Pony. They are my life. I love them. I'd do anything for them. Just sometimes…I think about the life I could have had and…it's too much. Please don't hate me." He whispered the last part. He looked so sad. **

"**I don't hate you. I understand why you're so confused." I said this last part without thinking. **

"**What do you mean?" He dropped his arms and started walking again. I caught up with him and then thought about what I had said for a minute. During that moment, he took my hand and held it in his own. It was so comforting. **

"**Well. I live with my mum. And I never knew my dad. He's a big banker up in New York. He dated my mum on the side and when she got pregnant he threw her out. She was his cleaning lady. Well, after that…he never contacted her again and when she tried to find him, he made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with her…and the baby….me." I finished quietly. I had never talked about my feelings with anyone before. I always had to be tough. Whether it was to make my mum happy, or to stand up for myself, I never got given to chance to express feelings. It made a person weak. **

"**That's horrible," Darry said quietly as he gave my hand a squeeze. **

"**And the worst part is…he probably has a wife and kids whom he loves with all his heart. But he dismissed me because I wasn't from the 'right' side of town. He never gave me the chance to love him. And yet….sometimes…I still want to." I stopped for a moment and looked at him. I definitely had never told anyone that before. I could feel tears threatening to fall from my eyes. I. Never. Cry. **

"**I'm sorry, that sounds crazy. And it is. I shouldn't want to love him! He was..is…horrible! He hurt my mum and me. It's so hard for me to get to know people because I'm always afraid that they'll leave me again. Like I'm not worth it. And it sucks to feel worthless!!" I was definitely crying now and it was Darry's turn to comfort me. He put my arms around his waist and rested my head into his chest. I could feel his arms holding me to him. And I felt safe. **

"**I won't ever leave you." He said quietly over my head. **

"**I know. You know how you said you could trust me? I feel the same way. I feel like I can trust you." I said quietly. **

"**You can trust me."**

"**This feels like déjà vu now." I laughed. "And we should probably get going and get that food or else we will have 6 angry and hungry boys on our hands." Darry laughed along with me and we continued to the store. **

**After picking up a few groceries (including cake mix) we continued on with our walk and talked about all sorts of things. We talked about my life in New York, school, activities I did, past boyfriends and such. Then we talked about his life in Tulsa, and how he was looking after his brothers now, and his job. **

"**I just hope I can get both of them to 18 without being majorly screwed up. It's bad enough with Soda dropping out of school. I feel just terrible about that. If only I could get another job or something and he could go back." Darry pondered out loud. **

"**Darry, I may not know Soda very well, but I heard what he said. He said that he doesn't like school. And even if you break your back with a second or third job, he's not gonna want to go back. Take it from his perspective. He hates the place. I know how he feels. Schools….like a joke. A big joke that adults have forced upon us. High school is at least. When you get to college and university you get to choose what to do, and you can pick stuff that interests you and makes you feel good about what you're doing. But high school just sucks. Terribly boring and honestly…who's gonna need trigonometry in their job!! Not me!" I finished this with a laugh. We had managed to put ourselves into good spirits now. And the tension between us was gone. And I no longer felt shy and awkward (bonus!!)**

"**You and Soda are more alike than you seem. Both are full of life, hate school, and love fixing cars." Darry commented. **

"**Thanks for showing me that I'm significantly screwed up and different from all other girls." **

"**You're unusual. And interesting. Not screwed up. Personally, I'd rather have a girl who fixed cars or watched sports or did something good with her life. Better than painting your nails and complaining all night long." I smiled on the inside when he said what kind of girl he liked. But I decided to tease him a bit. **

"**But Darryyyyy!! It's so difficult deciding whether to paint my nails red or pink!! What if it doesn't match my outfit?????" I said in my most annoying and high pitched voice. **

"**Stop!" He gently shoved me away. "I know not to make fun of you again. You would make me kill myself from your annoyingness." He joked. "So wait, do you have school tomorrow?" **

"**Unfortunately." I grimaced. **

"**oh c'mon! It's not that bad! You'll have Pony and Two-Bit to hang around with!"**

"**true. Although both aren't seniors. Do you have work tomorrow?" I asked. I wanted to be invited back to their house so I could see him again….and all the other guys of course. **

"**Yea. But only until 6. Which is pretty early for me. So how about this? After school you head over to my house, and keep the boys in line until I get home? Plan?" He smiled at me as he said this. **

"**Well I don't know. I suppose I could…only because I'm such a nice person…..going out of my way to make your life easier…."I trailed off and looked at him. "Sure. I'll be there." **

"**You know? If you weren't so cute I'd have to wring your neck for being so annoying." Darry said with a laugh.**

"**So now I'm cute?" I asked coyly. Dear lord he thinks I'm cute. **

"**Yea. You are." He said very quietly and seriously. Oh my god. He thinks I'm cute. I realized by this time we had reached his house. But I didn't feel like going in. Darry looked down at me and just stared. He slowly bent down a little and I knew it was going to happen. He was going to kiss me. And I wanted him to. I wanted him to real bad. **

"**April?" He asked quietly. His lips were only a few inches away from mine.**

"**Yes?" I asked. I didn't really want to be talking right now. I'd rather him just kiss me. **

"**Can I kiss you?" Darry whispered. Aww he's a gentleman! **

"**Yes." I whispered. He tilted his head to the right and leaned in even more. And at that exact second that I was about to feel his lips on mine….Dally decided to open the door to check on where we were with the food. **

"**So..sorry!" Dally said as Darry gave him a murderous stare. "The boys were just getting really hungry so I thought I'd go for a walk and see where you guys were. Sorry. I'll go back inside now." He hurriedly rushed back inside and shut the door. But the mood was gone. **

"**I guess we should go in and fix them some food." Darry remarked quietly.**

"**Yep. Probably." But I wanted him to know that I still did want to kiss him. So I reached up on my tip-toes and whispered into his ear, "another time," and walked into the house. **


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! Keep on reviewing, it's awesome. Sorry I didn't update. I am trying to keep the updates fast cuz I know how it is when the author doesn't update for FOREVER! So anyways, hope you enjoy!

**CHAPTER FOUR**

"**K guys. Thanks for that scrumptious dinner that…..oh. Right. I made it! Anyways, I'll see you guys tomorrow. Bye." I called over my shoulder as I left to go home. Just as I was going out the door though, I felt someone catch my arm with their hand.**

"**You can't walk home alone. It's late, and dark out." I heard a deep voice say from behind me. **

"**I'll be fine Dar.." I turned around "..Dally." Why did Dallas Winston want to walk me home? Isn't he supposed to be all tuff and not care about anybody except himself? I guess he doesn't want me to get hurt after what happened yesterday. And I know that he cares about Johnny, a lot more than he cares about himself. Hmm…so why did he want to walk me home?**

"**C'mon April. We don't want you getting hurt. Let me walk you home. It's on my way anyways." He pleaded with me. I'd much rather have Darry walk me home, but whatever. **

"**Fine. Let's go then." I turned around and I saw Darry looking sad and angry. Dally would be in for it once he got back. I guess Darry wanted to walk me home as well. "I'll see you all tomorrow."**

**I walked through the door that Dally held open for me and turned right at the sidewalk. He caught up to me. I was still puzzled over why he wanted to walk me home. So I decided to ask. **

"**I just don't want you to get hurt again." He answered after I posed my question. **

"**But you forget that I didn't get hurt the first time." I answered smartly. **

"**Only because I was there. What would you have done if you hadn't found me?" He asked quietly.**

"**Well…" I thought about it for a minute. "A. I would have found someone different. B. I would have waited until they got bored and left. Or C. I would have gone out there and tried to hold my own." I thought my options were pretty good.**

"**See? I don't like that!" Dally said loudly.**

"**Don't like what?" I asked naively. What was he talking about?**

"**Don't like that you would have put yourself in danger! Those guys would've have beat you up, and could've possibly raped you! You never know April! Please don't ever think things like that again. I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt." As he was talking he sped up, so that I was almost running to keep up with him. At this fast pace we were almost back at my house. **

"**Why? Why do you care so much for my well being?" I asked, again naively. **

"**Because I'm in love with you!" Dally said loudly and stopped suddenly. What? He was IN LOVE with me?? Where did this come from? I looked up and saw him staring at me. I felt his left hand at my waist and saw his right one coming up to my neck. He placed his hand on the side of my face and brushed my hair back. Then I felt his hand at the back of my neck, not allowing my head to turn. Oh my god. This is not happened. **

"**I'm in love with you April. Me, Dallas Winston, is in love with someone. I never thought it would happen." He said quietly, his voice husky with emotion. I saw him lean in and his lips were only inches away from mine. I did NOT want this to happen. No way. Not unless it was Darry who was in his place. I tried to turn my head but his hand prevented that. **

**Dally keep leaning in and I knew it was only a matter of time, so I closed my eyes and wished it all to be over. I felt his lips on mine, cold and harsh. I kept myself still, having no emotion through the whole ordeal. He noticed that I wasn't kissing him back and he got angry. He took his hand from my waist and grabbed a hold of my right hand and placed it around his neck. Once again, I didn't move or give any resistance. He took my other hand and placed it around his neck as well so that I was technically "holding on to him." Only I wasn't. Not at all. I just wanted him to stop kissing me and to go away. **

**He kept trying to open my mouth with his, but I wouldn't let him. Finally, after a few minutes, he pulled away and looked down at me. I kept my eyes trained at his chest, willing myself not to slap him. He could seriously kick my ass. **

"**Well?" He said quietly. **

"**Dally." I said quietly. I liked him as a guy, but it was Darry that I was in love with. And I was. At that moment I knew that I was in love with him. I didn't think I would ever love someone. And definitely not love at first sight. That was the kind of stuff that happened in books and movies, and to other people. But not me. I guess I was wrong. "Dally. I'm sorry. But I'm in love with Darry." I said quietly. I didn't want to break his heart because I still wanted to be friends with him. **

**He sighed softly. "I figured that much. I was just hoping." He pulled away from me and started walking away. I ran after him.**

"**Dally!" I called. "Are we still gonna be friends?? Because I want to be friends with you. You're like the older brother I never had…but always wanted." I finished meaningfully. And it was true. I had always wanted an older brother and Dally was filling that spot nicely.**

**He turned around slowly. "Of course April. I still want to be friends with you. No awkwardness?" He asked quietly.**

"**Of course! No awkwardness." I laughed. Dally laughed with me. We continued walking and he dropped me off at my house and gave me a hug before leaving. Things were going to be okay between us. **

*******

**Ugh. School. **

**Why did people invent it? Is school just another way to torture poor teenagers? At least I'm done after this year. D O N E. Thank god. I hate school. Hence why I don't want to get up on this bright beautiful fantastic…Monday morning. Ugh. Maybe if I just go back to sleep my mum won't make me go. **

"**Wake up Sweetheart! April! First day at your new school." I heard her voice call from the kitchen. **

**No such luck. **

"**I'm up. I'm up." I heaved myself out of bed I jumped into the shower and then quickly blow dried my hair. I did my makeup and then I stood in the mirror for a few moments. My hair was so damn straight. Nice. Its never straight unless I blow dry it. Okay. Good enough for school. Crap. I'm going to the Curtis's after. Hmm, okay, I guess its good enough for the gang. And Darry. **

**I looked at my watch and saw that it was 7 30. It took me and my mum about 15 minutes to walk to the school yesterday so I should go. **

**As I ran downstairs my mum called at me "April, come eat some breakfast please. I made eggs." **

"**Nah mum. Can't eat. Gonna be late." I quickly called. But she looked so sad that I ran into the kitchen, took a swig of orange juice and grabbed a piece of toast. She brightened up then. "Love ya. Bye." Then I ran out the door. **

**Holy cow it's a nice day today. Good thing I decided against the jean jacket I was planning to wear today. Instead I had on nice plaid shorts and a white tee. It was a gorgeous spring day. **

**When I got to the school I could tell that I was on time. I made my way to the office and told the secretary I was new. She gave me my class schedule and a map. Screw the map I'm not acting like a nerd on the first day. And I told her that. **

"**Well then have fun trying to get around the school on your own. For your information. No guns, no knives, and no smoking on campus. Break any of these and you're out. Have a nice day." She waved me out and then shut the door. **

**I looked at my schedule and saw that I had the same courses that I took in my old school. I guess they didn't want me to miss anything. Yay? "Math…English…Lunch…Cosmo…Auto. Okay, not bad. At least I get the shitty subjects over with first. A nice afternoon. And then I'm done!**

**I headed off down the hallway for math class; figuring that I would just ask some random person where it was. The first good looking guy I saw was my target. But then I felt someone put their hands over my eyes and whisper "guess who?" **

"**Hmm I don't know. Could it be you Two-Bit?" I said as calmly as I could. I was NOT letting him know that he scared me. **

"**Aw shucks! How did you know April?" He said sadly as he took his hands away. **

**I laughed at him "Two-Bit! You're the only guy I know who would do that! Anyways, you're the only guy I know here other than Ponyboy and that doesn't really seem to be his style. Just tell me where Math is." I smiled. Told ya I wouldn't need the stupid map.**

"**Yea just go up the stairs and make a right. Then three doors down on the left. I guess I'll see you later then…unless you wanna skip?!" He smiled hopefully. **

"**No Two-Bit. I'm not skipping on my first day. Besides, I wanna graduate and be done with this place. You should feel the same way. Bye." I said loudly and walked away. I should probably get to class if I want to be on time. Now normally I wouldn't give a damn if I'm late, but I think that on the first day of school I should probably make a good impression. **

**I walked into a classroom full of strangers….and hated it. Everyone just has to stare at you, like you're some kind of animal from the zoo. God damn it! I'm just a normal person like you all. **

**The teacher walked in right behind me. An old guy with a nice beer gut. Ew. This just makes math so much worse. I walked to the back of the classroom and took a seat in the corner. I felt peoples' eyes on me as I walked. Weirdos. **

"**Okay class. Welcome back from that lovely weekend we all had. I know you all hate having math first thing on a Monday morning, but here's some news that should make the class a little more interesting." Oh no. I saw it coming. He kept smiling and looking back at me. I knew he was gonna introduce me and make me get up in front of the class. Fuck. "We have a new student in our class. She'll be with us for the rest of the year. Would you like to come up here and introduce yourself to the rest of the class April?"**

"**No." I said calmly. Why would I get up there and talk to a bunch of wannabe losers who I don't give a shit about. The only person who looked nice was a girl sitting in the front by the windows. She was the only person who gave me a quick glance then went back to whatever she was doing before I waltzed in. **

"**April…but…its customary that you come up and talk about yourself…" The teacher stammered. I'm sure he told me his name but I can't remember. **

"**Why? Here's what you need to know about me. I'm April. I'm new. And I can't wait to be done with this shit they call school. Nice to meet you all too." I said from my seat in the back. **

"**April. That is not how you introduce yourself. Now come up and get a detention slip. Lunch time, my office." The old guy said loudly. I could tell he was pissed off so I just kept my mouth shut. "Continuing on with the lesson. Now trigonometry…" I tuned the guy out until the bell rang. **

"**That was super cool." I heard a high voice say from above me. I looked around and noticed that everyone seemed to have left. Except for the girl standing above me. She looked like a Barbie. Except a really fake one. White blond fake hair, super orange fake tan, big fake boobs, and a skirt that looked like a belt.**

"**What's up Barbie?" I asked her. **

"**Hahaha! You're so funny April! My name's not Barbie! It's Crystal. Crystal Morton. So nice to meet you. You're from the West Side aren't you? Omg we're going to be such great friends! Best friends actually!" She grabbed my arm and propelled me from the room. I grabbed my detention slip on the way out. **

"**Actually I'm from the East Side." I said. **

"**Oh." She stopped and dropped my arm. "Never mind then. I'll see you around…or maybe I won't." She gave me a mean look and walked away quickly. Whatever bitch. I went the opposite direction, looking for the English room. **


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys. Sorry it's been so long! I apologize.

Anyways, I will try and get better about updating cuz I know how much it sucks when you're waiting. Hope you enjoy.

Keep reviewing please!!

**CHAPTER FIVE**

"**And then she walked off in a hurry." I said to the guys once Ponyboy, Two-Bit and I got back from school. Darry wasn't home, sadly, but everyone else was. "Wonder what her problem is."**

"**Aw that's just Crystal Morton. She's a piece of work. She used to talk to me but once she found out that I was from the East side of Tulsa, that all stopped." Sodapop said to me as he sat down beside me on the couch. **

"**She only talked to you because you were good looking Soda!" Two-Bit said loudly from where he sat in front of the TV. Mickey Mouse was on. Again. **

"**Aw shut up Two-Bit! Watch your TV." Soda decided that throwing a cushion at Two-Bit would be a great idea right about now.**

"**What is going on here?" A deep voice said as the front door slammed. **

**I turned around and saw the handsomest man in the world. Now I know that 'handsomest' might not be a word, but that's what Darry was. To me. He was the handsomest man in the world. **

"**Darry!" I said as I bounded off the couch to give him a hug. He seemed surprised that I would show so much affection in front of the guys. I'm not really into PDA. But like I said: closet romantic. And I could tell from his huge smile that he liked my hug. **

"**Well hi there darling'." He said. "How was school?"**

"**You sound like my dad." I laughed. "It was good Daddy! I made lots of new friends, the teachers are all nice and I'm going to buckle down and really study this year."**

"**Really?" Darry called over his shoulder as he headed to the kitchen. **

"**No!" I snorted as I followed him. "Screw school. I hate it already. Teachers and classes suck. The girls are bitches. All in all I'll be glad to be done with it. Only 3 more months."**

"**I liked school." Darry said quietly. He was leaning against the counter, facing away from me. **

"**Oh my god. Darry I didn't mean it like that!" I said quickly to cover my mistake. Of course he would have loved school. It was one of the things he got taken away from him. I ran to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. I put my head against his back and I could feel his heartbeat. It was quiet for a moment before he spoke. **

"**It's okay April. I know you didn't mean anything." As he spoke he turned around and wrapped his arms around my waist. Once again it was silent for a few minutes before Darry decided to talk again. "April?" he asked quietly. **

"**Yes?"**

"**Can I finally kiss you?" Yes! The words I finally wanted to hear. **

"**Yes."**

**My yes was almost cut out because I felt his lips on mine. It was what I imagined heaven to be. I felt his hand come up and snake through my hair, resting at my roots, pushing my mouth closer to his. I put my hands around his neck, and made him lean down a little so that I could kiss him more easily, seeing as how he was so much taller than me. He put his hands around my waist and picked me up and carried me to the counter so that our faces were at the same level. But before we got too serious I had to stop him. I pulled away and leaned my forehead against his. **

"**Why did we have to stop?" Darry asked quietly. **

"**Because we are currently in your kitchen and I'm sure that at any moment one of the guys will walk in and catch us. Unless that's what you want." I laughed as I said this. Darry laughed with me. **

"**I don't want to tell them quite yet. I guess we should get out there." He said quickly. He gave me a quick peck and then helped me down from the counter. I smiled at him and we went out to join his family. **

*******

"**Ugh. Please don't make me Two-Bit!" I said as Two-Bit pushed me towards my math room. A.k.a living hell. **

"**You said it yourself. 'I can't skip Two-Bit! I want to graduate! Only 3 more months!'" Two-Bit imitated me in the highest, squeakiest voice he could. Totally not me. **

"**Fine. But if I don't come to lunch, you'll know that I'll have died from boredom. Then will you be happy?" I asked him. **

"**Not particularly, but as long as you got through the whole class then I'll be satisfied." He smirked at me. **

"**Thanks for being such a great buddy. Later." I said as I walked into the classroom. I looked around quickly and saw that I was early. For once. As I headed to the back of the room where I had sat yesterday, I noticed something different. I now had someone sitting beside me. It was the girl that I noticed yesterday. She had dark brown hair, so dark that it almost looked black and it was super straight. Like pin straight. She had on a simple white tank top and a pair of jeans but she was so pretty! **

"**Hey. I'm Allie. And you're April I'm guessing?" She looked up and spoke when she saw me standing there. **

"**Yea. So why'd you switch desks." I'm not into really beating around the bush. Just get straight to the point. But Allie didn't seem fazed. **

"**Well everyone else in this class is a bore and I figured that you seemed like a pretty cool person. So I thought I'd sit with you. And you could probably use a friend. Although how the heck do you see anything from way back here?" I laughed when she made her last comment. **

"**Perfect vision I guess."**

"**Lucky you. Me however, I'm as blind as a bat and need my glasses." Allie reached into her bag and pulled out the coolest pair of glasses I had ever seen. They were vintage, with huge frames and they were big, chunky, and black. But somehow she pulled the whole look off. She was one of those people who didn't try yet still looked amazing. **

"**So do you hate this class too?" I asked suddenly. **

**Allie turned around. "Well, it's not my favourite but I don't mind it. I just happen to be good at it."**

"**Lucky you! I hate math! I just don't get it." I was kinda shocked. Pretty and super smart? Some people get it all. Although I guess I shouldn't be complaining too much. **

"**Hey, I'll help you out. That's what friends are for right?" She asked quietly. **

"**Right." I smiled as I said this. Hmm maybe I wouldn't be hanging out with just guys from now on.**

"**Okay class, let's get started." The teacher said as he walked into the classroom. **

**I slumped down in my seat and groaned quietly. Yay. **


End file.
